Man sentenced for random meth-fueled Gabriola Island tirade

They scrambled to the home’s mud room and dial 911.

Minutes earlier, a concerned neighbour sensed something was wrong upon seeing erratic behaviour by Macleod who was then parked in a van on the road outside of the farm’s driveway.

The Good Samaritan had to drive to another part of the island to place a 911 call due to poor cell service.

About 20 minutes after the break-in, a pair of Gabriola Island RCMP officers appeared on scene.

Police observed a crack pipe, hard booze and beer cans in the suspect vehicle, while Macleod was heard in the home yelling incoherently.

“Mr. Macleod was seen through windows throwing things throughout the house,” Mascolo told court.

The homeowners were not injured or threatened, Mascolo told court.

A few minutes later, smoke was noticed by police inside the home.

Macleod had set an upstairs spare bedroom on fire, prompting a response from Gabriola Island Volunteer Fire Department crews.

While continually yelling incoherently from upstairs, Macleod threw several items on the stairwell.

“There was so much debris at this point that the officers described it as barricaded with furniture,” Mascolo said.

Describing the increasing risks posed by the growing fire, de-escalation efforts by police worked in convincing Macleod to come downstairs.

It appeared to police that he cleared away some of the debris pile to get downstairs.

Police noted Macleod appeared scared.

His hands and face were bloodied, and a wooden splinter was protruding from his neck.

Macleod was apprehended under the B.C. government’s Mental Health Act and transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

He was treated for smoke inhalation, as well as for the stab wound on his neck, then released the following afternoon.

Macleod was not formally treated at the hospital’s psychiatric ward.

A warrant was issued and Macleod was arrested five days following the incident.

He was locked up between Oct. 12 2023 until his Friday, June 20 release.

The Crown’s Mascolo said the elderly couple, an 86-year-old woman and her 97-year-old husband, were displaced for a significant period of time.

Over $160,000 in property damage was caused, with most of the losses covered by insurance.

“It certainly has changed their life in a significant way,” Mascolo said. “They’re elderly and vulnerable and this person came into their house, did a significant amount of damage and lit their house on fire. Just recently everything has been repaired.”

The couple no longer keeps their doors unlocked as they had for many decades on Gabriola Island.

Macleod entered the home through an unlocked sliding glass door.

He told pre sentence report authors that he didn’t remember the incident.

Macleod has a limited criminal history, with his only other serious run-in with the law being a similar incident in Vancouver where he broke into Emily Carr University and started a fire.

The Vancouver incident, leading to a jail sentence, was again linked to Macleod’s crystal meth use.

A recent psychiatric assessment outlined how fears Macleod was experiencing influenced his actions at the Gabriola Island farmhouse.

Macleod’s psychotic symptoms were more consistent with intoxication, rather than a drug-induced psychotic disorder, the forensic report stated.

Macleod was a relatively new arrival to the community prior to the incident, who became increasingly isolated at the time.

Defence lawyer Kathleen Kerr-Donohue told court her remorseful clien of Indigenous heritage is originally from Winnipeg, who had a severely disadvantaged upbringing.

Despite significant challenges growing up in an adoptive family environment and being inflicted by racism and bullying in school, Macleod fared well academically, Kerr-Donohue noted.

She said Macleod, a father of two, has a strong work history with demonstrated periods of stability.

Macleod is a highly trained welder and accomplished artist.

He plans to pursuit new educational opportunities for a less physically demanding career.

Post-release conditions of continued counselling and treatment will be important factors, Kerr-Donohue noted, adding Macleod has progressed with ongoing rehabilitation at Nanaimo Correctional Centre (NCC)

Several reference letters from NCC staff were submitted to the court for judge Brian Harvey to review.

Macleod is deemed to be at a relatively high risk for relapse.

He’s been diagnosed with stimulant and alcohol use disorders.

“A probation order with robust conditions in our view will adequately sway those risks,” Kerr-Donohue said.

From the prisoners’ box, Macleod rose to apologize for his actions.

“I’m glad that no one was hurt and I hope the best for them, I’m sorry for what I did. I also understand what got me in here and what the circumstances were, what I did to myself,” Macleod said.

In accepting the jointly submitted sentence recommendation of two-and-a-half years behind bars with time-served credit taken into account, judge Harvey called Macleod’s actions very serious.

“That being said, I’m also mindful of the steps that he’s taken and in my view the sentence being proposed is fit and appropriate,” the veteran judge said.

Macleod was ordered to pay back the Gabriola Island couple $5,000 to help absorb losses not covered in their insurance claim.

The offender was also ordered to stay off Gabriola Island during two years of probation, which features mandatory counselling for substance use.

Macleod pleaded guilty to arson and causing mischief to property in excess of $5,000, while several other charges linked to his offending on Gabriola Island were dropped in exchange for his guilty pleas.

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by Ian Holmes

Man sentenced for random meth-fueled Gabriola Island tirade

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